Loathe at Liverpool’s Invisible Wind Factory was a victory lap for the hometown heroes
Words by Kaitlyn Brockley
Fresh off the back of a U.S tour, Loathe continue their run through the EU and U.K, making a stop in their hometown of Liverpool in a celebratory show of a band edging ever closer to their peak.
After 2020’s I Let it in and it took Everything, Loathe have been on an upward trajectory: hopping on tours with Knocked Loose and Spiritbox, and even getting a shoutout from the elusive Frank Ocean. All this touring has paid off, building up a dedicated fan base young and old and reaching new heights - from a secret set at Outbreak to a mainstage Download Festival slot. Latest single Gifted Every Strength teased our tastebuds earlier this year, hinting at exciting new things to come, but here in Liverpool the only objective is to celebrate how far the local lads have come.
On a freezing cold night in Liverpool, woolly hats and scarves are traded for baseball caps and eyeliner as the sold-out crowd swell out the Invisible Wind Factory. Overhead, a disco ball glitters, catching on glinting piercings. The crowd is mixed, from hardcore dads in patch jackets to groups of girls with tie dye hair.
Love is Noise and Zetra join Loathe on the EU leg of the tour, to a warm Liverpudlian audience that is giddy and loud. Love is Noise take the stage first, stoking the energy in the room, swiftly followed by Zetra, who emerge from the smoke like the misunderstood heroes of an anime, leather clad and shrouded by hair and collars. They step on their lit-up podiums, a mirror swirling behind them akin to the imagery of Magdalena Bay. They fuse low-tuned bass with 80s synths, reminiscent of Crosses and Better Lovers. The opening track is gentle, unassuming even, but through the set they build - winning the crowd over with a blistering second track and following with a cover of Kittie “Charlotte”, prompting pleasantly surprised glances amongst the crowd. They are mysterious, slightly baroque, as if plucked from the intro music of a 90s video games; but there is an intensity in the wall of noise, whilst slightly operatic vocals float over reminiscent of Nightwish.
And as always Loathe take the stage in their hometown, soundtracked to the rallying cry of the city “You’ll Never Walk Alone”. The crowd in full voice bellow along, not just for the football or for Loathe but for their region, for the vibrancy of culture it produces. And I’m not just talking about The Beatles - Liverpool has recently become home to a burgeoning alternative scene that fostered the careers of bands like Loathe, championing upcoming local metal acts at events such as No Play Festival.
Then the lights dim and flicker, and Loathe march out, looking almost like a jazz band rather than a metal act in smart suits and a cream white backdrop. But there is no mistaking the ferocity of this band - they explode into ‘Gifted Every Strength’ to a pit opened the moment they stepped on stage, elbows swinging like guillotines. Loathe are truly masters of combining the light and dark, at one moment the shimmering guitars and gentle vocals reminiscent of Cocteau Twins and then the next slamming into wielding bass lines akin to Converge. They launch into ‘Screaming’, to the joy of the audience, who drown out the floating vocals of guitarist Erik Bickerstaffe. But it is impossible to drown out the guttural roars of lead singer Kadeem France, who in between rumbling growls is busy hip-swinging and bouncing around, the excitement of a kid at Christmas.
A tender moment is found in ‘Two Way Mirror’, the lights soften to a rosy hue and the crowd sway, a moment easily mistaken for a Take That concert rather than a metalcore band. But that is the magic of a Loathe - at times it is a brutal crowd killing pit, a space to expel all pent up aggression; to a dance club, with chants of “hey” and bounding up and down; to a romantic slow dance; they cover it all, with the same underlying edge that runs through their entire discography.
And the crowd lap it up - in a quiet interlude, a crowd not wanting to stop start an impromptu dance battle, trading cartwheels for two-steps for even the worm, all participants equally spurred on with cheers, even a slightly skewiffed roly-poly. The most ferocious moment is found in ‘New Faces in the Dark’, with the instantly recognise spindly guitars sparking a circle pit the width of the room. Limbs fly; shoes soar through the air over the heads of crowd surfers as beer (I hope) is flown across the room, a moment too exciting to have a pint in hand.
The night closes with fan favourites ‘Is it Really You?’, the clearest demonstration of what Loathe do best, dark and ferocious but brooding and romantic, before the room explodes for one final time with ‘Gored’. Tonight it’s clear to see this is no longer an “upcoming” UK act but leaders of the pack, forging their legacy with every live show.
